The present invention relates to apparatus to facilitate identifying information located on containers. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus adapted to be secured to containers, for example, pharmaceutical or chemical containers, to identify information, for example, information relating to the contents of the containers, located on the containers.
Pharmaceuticals are an important and beneficial development of modern life. Humans often take or ingest more than one pharmaceutical to treat different conditions. It is important that the correct pharmaceutical be selected, from the plurality of pharmaceuticals in the user""s possession, to treat a specific condition. In addition, the correct or proper dosage of the pharmaceutical should be taken for most effective results. Taking a wrong or incompatible medication, or an incorrect or improper dose of the medication can result in substantial detriment to, or even the death of, the user. For example, the study, xe2x80x9cDrug-Related Morbidity and Mortality: A Cost of Illness Modelxe2x80x9d, by J. Lylee Bootman, Dean of University of Arizona College of Pharmacy and Jeffrey Johnson, published on Oct. 9, 1995, in volume 155 of Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that the U.S. cost of dealing with problems due to prescription drug misuses from numerous causes is estimated at $75 billion and causes an estimated 198,000 premature deaths per year making it the largest cause of preventable death in the U.S. today.
Containers, for example, such as pharmaceutical containers, food containers, chemical containers and the like, have labels, fixedly taped and/or glued on outer peripheral, often cylindrical, sidewalls, which include substantial amounts of information on the product included in the container and its proper or recommended conditions or use. Such information, by necessity, is commonly set forth in relatively small print, for example, using substantially the same font everywhere, making it relatively difficult to read the information. Difficulty in reading is particularly true when the user of the material included in the container is temporarily or permanently visually impaired.
It would be advantageous to provide a system for easily and rapidly identifying information located on containers, even when the information is provided in a relatively small and/or difficult to read format.
Apparatus to facilitate identifying information located on a container have been discovered. The present invention provides for very quick, reliable and effective identification of information located on a container, for example, a pharmaceutical or chemical container, even when such information is presented in a small and/or otherwise difficult to see format. The container is provided with a very straightforward, easy to use system to facilitate identifying information located on the container. Ultimately, the user of the container is provided with an increased degree of comfort, safety, and assurance that he or she is using the specific desired material, for example, the pharmaceutical included in the container and using it, in the recommended or proper way.
In one broad aspect, the present invention is directed to apparatus to facilitate identifying information located on containers. The apparatus comprise members adapted to be secured to the containers. These members include magnifying lenses. The members preferably are removably secured to the containers, more preferably, secured other than adhesively to the containers. The member, by including a magnifying lens or magnifying lenses, which provides an enlarged image of the information located on the container, very effectively allows the user of the container to see the information located on the container. Thus, for example, the user of a container, such as a pharmaceutical or chemical container, can secure the present member on the container after having purchased or otherwise have been provided with the material in the container. In so doing, the user can clearly see the information located on the container and, ultimately, more effectively, reliably and safely use the contents of the container. Alternately, the container can be sold or otherwise provided to the consumer with the present member, including the magnifying lens, secured to the container prior to or at the time the container is provided to the consumer.
In one particularly useful embodiment, the magnifying lens comprises an elastic or elastomeric material, more preferably such a material which is near transparent, transparent or even optically clear. At least a portion of the member and/or the magnifying lens preferably are made of a polymeric material, more preferably an elastomeric polymeric material, such as an elastomeric thermoplastic or thermosetting polymeric material, for example, rubber. Thermoplastic members are very useful in relatively mild environments and in single use applications. Thermosetting members are advantageous under more severe conditions, for example, elevated temperature conditions, and/or when the member is to be reused, for example, reused repeatedly.
In another useful embodiment, the member comprises a substantially rigid material, for example, a substantially rigid polymeric material. To illustrate, the magnifying lens or lenses or the entire member can be made of such substantially rigid material. Members comprising such substantially rigid materials are particularly useful in embodiments in which the magnifying lens or lenses are made of such materialsxe2x80x94for example, to provide enhanced clarity in viewing the magnified informationxe2x80x94and when the member is adapted to circumscribe only a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the container. In this latter circumstance, the rigidity of the material can be useful in securing, for example, frictionally securing, the member to the container. Also, members made of such substantially rigid material advantageously include a plurality of inwardly extending projections or nibs adapted, when the member is secured to the container, to contact the outer peripheral surface of the container so that at least one of the projections is located between the magnifying lens and the outer peripheral surface. Such projections may also allow the member made of substantially rigid material to be secured to containers of slightly different sizes.
A very useful embodiment of the invention provides that the member, including the magnifying lens, is an integral or unitary structure.
The member may include a securement portion, in addition to the magnifying lens, adapted to facilitate securing the member to the container. This securement portion may comprise an elastomeric material. The securement portion preferably is made of a polymeric material, more preferably an elastomeric polymeric material, such as an elastomeric thermoplastic rubber or thermosetting, e.g., silicone, polymeric material. More preferably, the securement portion is unitary with the magnifying lens.
The present members can be made using techniques which are conventional and well known, such as molding and/or other processes conventionally used to produce articles from polymeric materials.
In one embodiment, the container includes an outer peripheral surface and the member is adapted, when it is secured to the container, to circumscribe at least a portion, preferably a major portionxe2x80x94this is at least about 50%, of the outer peripheral surface of the container. The member may be in the form of a C-clamp and only partially circumscribe the outer peripheral surface of the container. Such partially circumscribing members advantageously comprise substantially rigid polymeric materials, such as certain acrylics, for example polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and the like; polycarbonates; other substantially rigid polymeric materials and the like. The member can circumscribe all of the outer peripheral surface of the container. The magnifying lens preferably is adapted, when the member is secured to the container, to circumscribe at least a portion, preferably a major portion and more preferably all, of the outer peripheral surface of the container.
The container has a length extending between a first or top end, which is often open or adapted to be opened, and a substantially opposing second or bottom end, which is often closed. The magnifying lens preferably has a lens thickness extending substantially perpendicular to the length of the container and a lens length extending between a top end and a bottom end substantially parallel to the length of the container. The lens length typically is larger than the lens thickness. The member can have a plurality of magnifying lenses. For example, two magnifying lenses at substantially right angles, that is about 90xc2x0, to each other can be provided in a single member. Such plurality of magnifiers facilitates reading information on a container regardless of the orientation of the information on the container. The magnifying lens can be located on only a portion of the member. Alternately, the magnifying lens can be substantially coextensive with, that is, cover substantially the entire outer surface of, the member. To illustrate, the length of the magnifying lens can be less than the length of the member or can be substantially equal to the length of the member.
The magnification power of the present magnifying lens preferably is relative to the magnification power, if any, of a similar member without the magnifying lens. For example, the portion of the member other than the magnifying lens may itself provide a relatively small degree of magnification. The magnification power of the magnifying lens preferably is in addition to the magnification power, if any, of the portion of the member other than the magnifying lens. One preferred feature of the present invention is that the magnifying lens has a controlled magnification power. Thus, the present members can be designed and customized to have the desired degree of magnification, for example, which may vary depending upon the application involved, the eyesight of the user and the size and/or format of the information located on the container. The controlled magnification power of the present magnifying lens preferably is in a range of about 1.2 or about 1.5 to about 2.5 or about 3. The magnifying lens may have any suitable configuration effective to provide the desired degree of magnification. In one embodiment, the magnifying lens includes at least one surface which is convex. A magnifying lens having a convex surface and a generally opposing substantially plano or flat surface provides very useful results. Of course, it is understood that the convex and substantially plano surfaces may be curved to conform to the shape of the container on which the member is placed.
In one embodiment, the magnifying lens is a Fresnel lens.
Preferably, the member is further adapted to be removed from one container and reused by being secured to a different container to facilitate identifying information located on the different container. Thus, the present member can be sold separate and apart from the container to which it is to be secured. Of course, the member can be sold or otherwise provided to the consumer along with the container on which it is to be secured.
In a very useful embodiment, the present apparatus further comprises a label portion adapted to include identification information and to be secured to the container so that the identification information is magnified by the magnifying lens when the member is secured to the container. The label portion preferably is part of the member, more preferably is unitary with the member.
In one useful embodiment, the member is further adapted to provide indication information effective to distinguish the container when the member is secured thereto, preferably relative to an identical container having a different indicating member attached thereto.
The indication information provided by the member or members in accordance with the present invention may be any one or more pieces or bits of information which is recognizable by the user of the container as distinguishing that container from one or more other containers. Among the types of indication information that may be used are visual indication information, that is information that is recognized using the sense of sight, tactile indication information, that is information that is recognized using the sense of feel or touch, audible indication information, that is information that is recognized using the sense of hearing, smell indication information, that is information that is recognized using the sense of smell, and combinations thereof. Each of these types of indication information include many, many examples, all of which are included within the scope of the present invention.
To illustrate, visual indication information can involve, among other visually recognizable factors, color, visually recognized marking or markings and shapes and the like. Tactile indication information can involve, among other tactically recognizable factors, texture, other surface features or structures, marking or markings which may not be completely or accurately visually recognizable and the like. Audible indication information can involve, among other audibly recognizable factors, mechanically created sound, electronically created sound, user activated sound, synthetically produced voice sounds and the like. Smell indication information can involve, among other smell recognizable factors, perfumed or otherwise scented members, xe2x80x9cscratch and sniffxe2x80x9d members and the like.
In one preferred embodiment, the indication information is recognizable by at least two, that is, two or more, senses. For example, the member used can have a specific color (visually recognizable), have a specific shape (tactically recognizable), be adapted to be rubbed against a surface to make a specific sound (audibly recognizable), and be made of a polymer including a specific fragrance (smell recognizable). Many forms of indication information are susceptible to xe2x80x9ctwo sensexe2x80x9d, e.g., visual and tactile, recognition. For example, size indication information and number, e.g., the number of members secured to any specific container, indication information, surface feature or structure indication information and configuration or shape indication information, are among the forms of indication information that may be recognized by at least two senses.
Indication information recognizable by at least two senses provides substantial advantages. Such information allows the user to make two separate and independent determinations as to the identity of the container so that the comfort level of the user is increased. However, there are circumstances in which only a single sense can be used to identify the container. For example, the user may be physically impaired. The member or members secured to the container can provide two different and distinct pieces of indication information recognized by the same sense, for example, the sense of feel. Thus, the user can make two separate and independent determinations of the container identity and is given an increased degree of comfort that the correct pharmaceutical has been selected even though he or she is visually impaired or is in an unlighted environment.
Apparatus useful to distinguish containers are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,668, patented Jun. 5,2001, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in the entirety by reference.
Another aspect of the present invention involves additional apparatus to facilitate identifying information. Such apparatus comprise an elongated member including a Fresnel lens. Preferably, the Fresnel lens extends along at least a major portion, preferably substantially all, of the length of the elongated member. The elongated member advantageously has sufficient length and flexibility to circumscribe at least a portion, for example, at least a major portion, that is at least about 50%, and preferably all, of a curved exterior surface of a container. Thus, the elongated member preferably has sufficient flexibility and length to completely circumscribe the curved exterior surface of a container.
The elongated member preferably is adapted to adhere to the exterior surface of the container. For example, the elongated member may be provided with an adhesive effective to adhere the elongated member to the container. Alternately, the elongated member may be adapted to self-adhere, that is without an added adhesive, to the exterior surface of a container. For example, the elongated member, preferably made of elastomeric polymeric material, may have sufficient intrinsic or inherent surface stickiness so as to self-adhere to itself and/or to the surface of a container. Such stickiness may be sufficient to effectively adhere one portion of the elongated member to another portion of the elongated member, for example, in securing the elongated member to or circumferentially around the surface of a container.
One substantial benefit of using a Fresnel lens in the present apparatus is that the Fresnel lens preferably has a magnifying power which is adjustable, for example, by controlling the distance between the lens and the object to be viewed.
Any feature or combination of features described herein is included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features of any such combination are not mutually inconsistent.
Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention are set forth in the following detailed description and claims, particularly when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts bear like reference numerals.